Ammonia (NH₃) is one of the main ingredients in the global agricultural industry, predominantly used in the production of fertilizers. It plays a crucial role in food production since it replaces the nitrogen in the soil, allowing plants to grow and ensuring an adequate supply of food. The manufacture of ammonia, however, has tremendous environmental implications which are threats to its sustainability. To know more about ammonia industry kindly follow coherent market insights.
The Traditional Process: High Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The traditional process to produce ammonia is the Haber-Bosch process, developed in the early 20th century. In this, air nitrogen is combined with hydrogen obtained from natural gas (methane). The reaction process must be carried out under extremely high temperature (400–500°C) and pressure (150–300 atmospheres) conditions, leading to high energy consumption.
The use of fossil fuels, such as natural gas, to make hydrogen makes the production of ammonia an important contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Approximately 1.8 tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission is required to produce one ton of ammonia, contributing to climate change. With additional production of ammonia to supply agriculture, the footprint also increases, compounding the problem of fossil fuel use and carbon emissions.
Water Use in Ammonia Production
The production of ammonia also takes large amounts of water. Water is utilized in cooling and maintaining the high-pressure equipment of the Haber-Bosch process. With water scarcity becoming a growing worldwide concern, the large amounts consumed in ammonia production are a concern for water sustainability, particularly in areas already suffering from drought.
Moreover, extensive use of ammonia-based fertilizers has resulted in nitrogen runoff, where water carries excess fertilizer to water bodies. Excess fertilizer runoff can lead to a variety of environmental risks, from eutrophication—a process where excess nutrients in water bodies lead to oxygen deficiency, resulting in the death of aquatic life. Nitrogen compounds in water also lead to the development of toxic algal blooms, further degrading water quality and environmental health.
The Green Ammonia Transition Challenge
As a counter to the environmental impact of ammonia production, the sector is turning to greener alternatives, commonly known as "green ammonia."
"Green ammonia is made with renewable energy sources (i.e., sun, wind, or water) to obtain hydrogen via water electrolysis instead of natural gas." The method eliminates carbon emission from the production of ammonia, offering an eco-friendlier alternative.
But green ammonia also has problems of its own. Renewable energy and electrolysis technology is still relatively costly in comparison to conventional techniques. In addition, the infrastructure needed to generate and transport renewable hydrogen is not yet ubiquitous. This means that green ammonia will have to be generated on a massive scale with high investment and policy support in order to become economically feasible and implemented on a large scale.
Future Directions and Solutions
In order to reduce the environmental impact of ammonia production, several strategies can be followed. These are:
Electrification and Integration of Renewable Energy: Better technological advancement in renewable energy and hydrogen technology has the potential to reduce the cost of producing green ammonia, thereby making it more affordable.
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS): CCS technology can be applied to traditional ammonia plants to capture CO₂ emissions and store them underground, reducing the net carbon intensity of ammonia production.
Improved Fertilizer Management: Improved fertilizer use through the implementation of improved farming practices such as precision farming can reduce nitrogen runoff and decrease environmental degradation caused by the utilization of ammonia-based fertilizers.
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